Experience
by Leirxa
Summary: AU. Zexion goes to college expecting just to learn, but gets the full experience. Zemyx. Eventual minor AkuRoku and RikuSora.
1. Can't Explain All the Feelings

**A/N**: Before beginning, I would first just like to briefly explain my choice of title, which might seem excessively simple at first. One definition of experience is: "To undergo an emotional reaction", which I feel perfectly describes what I mean for Zexion to do across the plot of this story. Additionally, people always say college is about _the experience_ – living on your own for the first time ever, meeting completely different people, etc. Thus, this word clicked and shall be the title of this fic.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing but the bizarre ideas in my head.

* * *

It was my first day. I wasn't really nervous during the several hour drive to campus, or as my parents helped me move all of my excess things into my dorm. I wasn't even sad as my mother hugged me goodbye and walked out the door, leaving me so completely alone. After all, it was my choice to go to a college this far from home. I could easily have commuted to a state university and lived with the comforts of my own house; but no. The education I was going to receive here, at this private university, would dwarf any a state school could provide. Thus, I had put my foot down and made this decision to a teary-eyed Mom. Not to mention, I was here on a full scholarship.

My dorm was small and dark, reminiscent of a prison cell, but at least I had managed to snag a single. That was more my mother's doing, but I had no objections. Apparently, she convinced the Residence Life staff that I was too socially inept to handle a roommate, and they were willing to accommodate my problem.

I pulled the shade of my window open to reveal an incredibly gorgeous view of the ocean; my backyard. The entire campus was situated along a huge stretch of beach. I may not be a beach person, but I could still appreciate the beauty of this view.

I looked over to the digital alarm clock on my desk: 12:30. In half an hour I was expected to meet my New Student Section outside for a picnic and what was considered "Re-Orientation", to make sure we were settling alright. NSS was a once-a-week-class of about ten Freshman, led by a professor who was also our Academic Advisor. It was meant to help us get to know each other and answer any questions we might have from week to week. I wasn't so into the idea of being forced to be social. I was at college to learn, not to make friends.

I picked up one of my large textbooks regarding "An Introduction to Physics," climbed onto my bed, and opened to the first chapter. I quickly became engrossed in the book, and the next time I even thought to glance at the time it was 5 of 1. Shit. I jumped up, threw the book aside, and ran out of my dorm.

The hallway was crowded with late-arrivals carrying massive televisions and mini-fridges into any one of many open doors. None of the boys I passed looked particularly interesting, but they all did smell particularly bad. Damn my oversensitive nose. Walking through this long hallway of adolescent boys, without my stomach churning, was going to take some getting used to.

I hurried down a flight of stairs and out of the large building, onto the sunny campus of Xehanort University. XU was named, like most colleges, after its founder. Once an all-boys academy, it had become coed about a decade ago and now also housed a small percentage of young women. This private institution was incredibly small in comparison to others, with a student body population of only about 1300.

The campus, fortunately for me, was not too huge, so it did not take long to reach the huge Willow tree under which sat my New Student Section. I did look to be the last arrival, however, and quickly sat down in the circle that the Freshmen and our advisor had formed.

"Nice of you to join us, Zexion," my grey-haired advisor, Professor Xemnas, said as I sat down. "Where were we? Ah yes, we were just about to introduce ourselves. Name, major, and any interests that you might have, please. Let's go around the circle, starting with you," he pointed at a silver-haired boy next to me.

"Hey, I'm Riku, Biology major. Interests, well, I'm an actor, and I like most sports," Riku said about himself, obviously comfortable speaking in front of a large group. He leaned back on his hands and looked over expectantly at me.

I would have preferred to become invisible on the spot than to talk about myself. I hid the best I could behind my slate hair, and then quietly answered, "Zexion, Physics and Biology double major. And, um, I like to…read."

After surviving my own introduction, everyone in the circle had their turn. Blonde-haired Roxas was Undecided and liked fencing. The brunette next to him, Sora, introduced himself as Roxas' twin, and was an Education major involved with Theater. Also in my section were two seemingly inseparable friends from home, Kairi and Namine, as well as soft-spoken Olette, confident Hayner, and a slightly awkward boy by the name of Pence. Though I may have trouble interacting with others and making friends, I pride myself on being able to read into people's personalities upon first meeting them.

"Good, now that we all know each other, does anyone have any questions about XU?" Professor Xemnas questioned. "Don't be shy, release that darkness from your souls."

He was an incredibly bizarre professor; Philosophy, apparently. At that last statement, Kairi and Namine snickered loudly and even I had to clench my jaw to prevent myself from smirking.

"What is there to do around here?" Riku asked from my side.

"There are many clubs you can join, and the Student Life Building has a movie theater, as well as a game room. Don't forget, you can always take a bus into town as well, where there are many things to do. That's right, keep yourself occupied with light. There is no need to ever be bored by darkness at this college," the professor answered, moving his arms animatedly, as if for an epic effect.

After that, every one of the students knew it would probably be best to keep quiet, rather than allow Xemnas to go off on a tangent of light and darkness.

"Well, if that is all, feel free to help yourself to some food," he said and pointed to the basket of food in the middle.

Everyone, except me, jumped at the food. I stood back and waited until everyone had helped themselves to the sandwich wraps, bags of chips, cookies, and fruit, then grabbed a ham and cheese sandwich. I sat back down in the same spot.

"So, you're a Biology major too?" Riku asked, and it took me a few seconds to realize he was speaking to me.

I nodded, and took a small bite of my sandwich. I didn't really feel the need to talk.

"Do you want to go into medicine? I do, I think I'm going to go to med-school after this," he continued speaking. I guess I was going to have to talk this time.

"No. I want to be a physicist somewhere. I just figured Biology would be fun on the side."

His eyes were wide for a moment, and then he gave a small chuckle. "Oh, so you're kind of a nerd then."

I tightened my lips in offense, but then just shrugged. "I like to learn."

"Well, I guess it's good you have style then, or how would you ever make friends?" He asked rhetorically.

It took me a few moments to realize that it was a compliment. I never did put much effort into my punk hairstyle or clothing (at the moment, a fitted graphic t-shirt, black board shorts, and converse all-stars), it was just who I was. This was also one of the first times I had ever been complimented on my appearance, so I was a bit wary at first, but then responded, "Thanks." Surprisingly, I could already tell that Riku was one person I'd consider being friends with.

"How weird is our advisor?" Riku laughed, looking over at the man who was chatting excitedly to Sora and Roxas.

"I guess it's a Philosophy thing…but what about his clothes?" He was wearing a one-piece, floor length black cloak with a hood and zippers all over the place. It should be mentioned that we were in a very warm climate, such that even in the shade of the tree the temperature was well into the 80s.

"I guess there'll be a ton of weird people here," Riku added.

I nodded. After all, we were at college.

About half an hour later we were allowed to leave, and Riku invited me, along with Sora and Roxas who both turned out to be well-spoken boys as well, to head over to the Student Life Building to check out the game room.

Maybe I was going to get the full college experience, complete with making friends, after all.

* * *

**A/N**: Please review and tell me what you think! I want to know if people believe that this story could have potential. I have some decent ideas for the plot, which will be ultimately Zemyx. Demyx will be introduced in the next chapter if I decide to continue. It's my first time trying to work with Zexion, who isn't the easiest character to get a grasp on, but I'm trying with little things here and there to characterize him properly. Maybe once I play Re: Chain of Memories I'll understand him better.

Also, this college is somewhat based off of the one I currently attend. If you can figure out which one, kudos to you. Many of Zexion's experiences shall be based heavily off my own. Exciting, right?


	2. That You're Making Me Feel

**New Disclaimer** (!): The chapter titles are lyrics from the song "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness. So, you should listen to it. I hope to achieve the feeling this song projects through my story. We'll see.

* * *

College went well for me over the next couple of weeks. Nearly all of my classes were intellectually stimulating, although a few of the introductory level courses for my majors were a bit below me, and most surprisingly, I was excelling socially. Well, I mean, I didn't sit in my dorm alone most of the time. Riku, who happened to live in the same wing of the dormitory as me, had become a very close friend. We got most meals together and just mindlessly hung out for hours upon end – watching movies, studying, playing video games, whatever. We clicked.

Sora and Roxas, the twins, also hung out with us more often than not. They lived in the other Freshman residence across campus, but would often invite themselves into either my or Riku's room. Our group grew and shrunk at different times of the day, but I was most comfortable around those three. Of course, I was still an introvert and preferred the company of a good book; but Riku was trying to bring me out of my shell.

"What an exhausting lab that was. I'm going to go take a nap. See ya back at the dorm, Zexion," Riku waved and walked away.

"Yeah, see you later," I replied and left in the opposite direction.

My three hour Biology lab had just released, and I tiredly walked towards the building in which I worked part-time: one of the alternative dining options on campus which consisted rather exclusively of greasy French fries, hamburgers, and chicken tenders; virtually anything greasy. I would never voluntarily eat at this dining hall, but I needed money and it was one of few places hiring.

I entered the building through the familiar glass doors and braced myself for the overpowering smell of heart-attack inducing fried food. (The scent made me dizzy and gag my first couple of shifts, but fortunately if I was around one smell long enough I grew nearly immune to it.)

"Hello, Zexion!" My boss, a very loud and outspoken man with pink hair, greeted me. Honestly, you can't believe how weird some of the people I interact with at XU are.

"Hi, Marluxia," I responded, and entered the back room, where I threw my black messenger bag aside and pulled on my usual dark blue work polo.

I reentered the main room through a separate door and took my spot at the cash register. There was already a line. Great, the dinner rush. It would be nonstop taking orders and scanning Student IDs for payments for the next five hours.

"Number six, please," a dark-haired girl ordered and handed me her ID. I scribbled down her order on a slip, scanned her ID, and handed it back to her without a word.

"Don't forget to say 'have a nice day!' Zexion," Marluxia reminded me. I nodded, apologized, and flawlessly took the next order from yet another stranger.

"You know, Zexion, if you have a song stuck in your head, just let it out! Make the workplace enjoyable!" Marluxia exclaimed all of a sudden, making me jump. He proceeded to sing loudly, echoing around the dining hall, "_If I could turn back time! If I could find a way! I'd take back those words that hurt you, and you'd stay!_"

Yes, my boss bursts out in frequent song. And yes, he just belted out Cher. I tried not to let my embarrassment show when I took the next order.

Countless number sixes later, (number six: chicken tenders and fries, the most popular meal we served), and after a short break in which I read from my physics book, hidden behind the cash register, a group of guys entered the room. Unsurprisingly, I had seen them around before – they were not too hard to miss due mainly in part to the vivid, spiky red hair of one of the young men.

And then I detected a new scent: a nice scent. It was warm, sweet, but not overbearing. It surrounded me, protected me from the grotesque reek of the grease. Then, it was all but gone, and I could not figure out which one of the newly entering people had caused it. I cleared my head.

They approached the cash register and I prepared to take their orders.

A tall, older-looking blonde with several ear piercings ordered first: number six; the name on his ID christened him Luxord. Next, a rather intimidating guy with a scar across his face ordered, you guessed it, a number six; Xigbar. The red-head followed, who I learned was called Axel, and he ordered the same. He turned around to join the others and, _wow_, his hair was so absolutely blinding, I fought the urge to shade my eyes.

"You know, we have things other than number sixes," I mumbled under my breath as he walked away.

"Hi!" The boy behind Axel greeted me loudly, giving me a bit of a scare. My eyes darted over him rapidly. He was blonde. It's hard to describe his hairstyle; almost mullet-like, yet more modern. His eyes were a strange, electric mix of green and blue.

I simply tilted my head, waiting for his order. I clutched the black pen unnecessarily hard and readied myself to write down the obnoxious, excessive, insufferable, loathsome, loopy number six when -

"I'd like a number nine with tomato and bacon!" He announced eagerly, smiling huge.

I raised an eyebrow – he ordered something different. I fought the urge to ask him if he had made a mistake – but there was no mistake, he had ordered a grilled cheese with tomato and bacon. I wrote down the number quickly, excitedly, as if he would change his mind if I didn't, and glanced back up at the boy.

"I need to scan your ID," I remarked, extending my hand for it.

"Oh yeah, sorry!" He exclaimed, and went to digging through the huge, baggy pockets of his camouflage shorts. The look of concentration on his face as both hands searched was intense. He began to pull handfuls of random effects out of each pocket, and empty them onto the countertop between us. Several colorful guitar picks, a couple of keys, a store receipt, a restaurant gift card that expired last June, and –

"Ah, here it is!" He handed me his ID and hurriedly scooped all of the various stuff back into his pockets.

Demyx. I scanned his ID and handed it back to him. When he reached for it, clasping the thin plastic card within his own fingers, the scent from earlier overcame me again – coconut! No. Vanilla! No. Some sort of flower? No, it was an exotic mixture of all the above. So, this was the culprit. Every now and again I meet a person like this – a person with a stunning, intoxicating, _different_ scent. There is always something unique about these individuals, as I have studied over the years.

_Demyx_. I released the ID and he reclaimed it. "Hey, I'm Demyx." He smiled again and pointed to himself.

"I noticed," I said and eyed the card that he was sliding back into his pocket. (Did people think it was odd that I noticed their names?) "Zexion," I added.

Demyx laughed loudly, perhaps a bit too loudly, and nodded, "I noticed too."

Apparently I looked shocked that he knew my name, so he pointed at the assigned nametag pinned to my chest. I gave a slightly embarrassed grin and fell quiet, expecting him to leave.

He didn't. He turned to his friends who were still waiting for him and said, "You guys go ahead and get a table, I'll catch up," and then turned back to me.

"I haven't seen you around here before," Demyx said to me, a halfway confused look on his face.

Honestly, after my long day of classes, Bio lab, and now work, I didn't feel much like talking, but I decided to amuse him. Riku's social capabilities were rubbing off on me, I suppose.

"I'm a Freshman," I replied and shrugged, it seemed like an obvious answer to me.

"Ah! A Freshie! Of course! No wonder you're so tiny," he chuckled and looked me over, during which time I cringed; I hated people judging me physically. "I'm a Sophomore," he announced proudly. "So what're you into?"

"Well, I'm a Physics and Bio double major…" I answered. I was so sick of that question. So what if I lacked actual hobbies? I braced myself for his response of 'nerd' or something similar.

"Neat! Is that even possible? Aren't they both like, a bazillion credits!?" Demyx's eyes were wide; he was impressed. "I'm a Music major myself. I play a ton of instruments and I love to surf."

And Demyx proceeded to talk, even though I continued to answer with the shortest responses possible and never once asked for any of the information that he freely gave. Was he completely oblivious to the fact that I just wanted to read my book? Yet, there was something about him that I was okay with, whether it was the scent or something completely different. I was actually astonished at his ability to talk to a complete stranger for this long.

Still, he was a stranger, and I was wary of his intentions. What sort of normal person strikes up a loaded conversation with someone they just met? Then again, I have not yet met a fully normal person at XU.

Lost in my own thoughts, I nodded with exhausted eyes, zoning out as he earnestly complained about how Residence Life wouldn't even consider allowing him to keep his new puppy in his dorm. I made a few polite remarks here or there to better pretend that I was paying close attention, and clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle the massive yawn that ensued. Apparently, he thought I was immensely engaged and dumbfounded by his story, because he got even more animated and loud after I did so. I let him believe it. _Man_, some people could _talk_.

"And you know, I swear she's trained to have better manners than a ton of -"

"Zexion! Look what I found in the back of the freezer!" I literally shot several inches into the air as Marluxia reappeared behind me. Why did everyone at XU feel the need to be so earsplitting and sudden? My nerves would not last four years of this treatment.

My gaze flickered to the objects in my boss' hands: two flower-shaped popsicles. "Don't they look delicious? I mean, they might be from before summer, but…Here, Zexion, have one," and against my assurance that I was all set, he forced one into my right hand, before leaving again with a graceful spin.

I sighed and looked down at the popsicle that I had no interest in consuming whatsoever. It smelled sickeningly sugary. It was then that I again noticed Demyx, whose eyes were fixed on the treat that I held.

"You uh, want it?" I guessed from his expression.

"Are you sure? Yeah, I mean, if you don't, of course," he replied and perked up, as if it were too good to be true.

"Well, what are you willing to do for it?" I smirked and dangled it in front of him tauntingly. Wow, Riku really _was_ rubbing off on me.

Demyx's eyes widened in surprise and he appeared suddenly nervous. "Uhh…"

"Kidding." I handed it to him. "I'm not at all hungry." He took it and gave a small squeal of delight, as if he were receiving something considerably more extraordinary than a freezer-burnt flower-pop.

After tearing the wrapper off and taking a huge bite of the pink ice cream, of which a good portion ended up on the side of his mouth, Demyx looked ready to talk again. Meanwhile, a new customer entered the room and walked to the cash register. Before he could open his mouth to speak, I nodded my head in the direction of the girl in line and he got the hint.

"Oh, sorry, I'll let you work. Hey, I'll see you around, Zexion," he waved exaggeratedly and frolicked to the table where his friends sat.

Sometimes I don't understand people; it comes with being an introvert. I especially didn't understand Demyx.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay, a review! Thanks so much for that! So anyone else who is reading, please review also. Especially if you add to Favorites or Alerts, because even though seeing that excites me, reviews excite me like, tentimes that. As for most authors, it will inspire me to update quicker.

Hehe. Demyx. Talkative, oblivious, silly. Yep. Maybe that is what makes Zemyx so appealing to me – how different they are. Heee. They're so adorable. I am such a fangirl.

Anyway, a ton of this chapter is, once again, based off my own college experience. The dining hall, the number sixes. I don't have the job Zexion has in this (I'm happy to say I work in a much more productive atmosphere), but my roommate does, ha. And her boss is insane. And finds things in the freezer. So, I realized after publishing the last chapter that Marluxia would have made a really amusing advisor too, but then I decided he was perfect for this role, so yayy.


	3. My Heart's in Overdrive

_-Another two weeks later.-_

There was a loud knock at my door. This would not be a simple maneuver; I was sitting on my bed, surrounded by books, papers, folders and notebooks strewn messily around the mattress, studying for my first major Physics exam. I tried to leap carefully, deftly off my lofted bed, but still managed to cause two large, hardcover books and a pile of papers to crash to the floor. One book landed strategically on my bare left foot. "OWWW!"

"Shitshitshit," I cursed over and over, hopping up and down on my right leg as my foot screamed in pain. The knock came again, louder this time.

"One second!" I hissed through a tightly clenched jaw, now bending and clutching my bruising foot in a rather impressively flexible sort of move.

I hopped over to the door, released my foot but kept it elevated, and pulled the handle so that it swung open. Riku looked surprised regarding the evident pain in my expression.

"Hey, man, you alright?" He looked past me, at the papers and books scattered all over my floor. I was sort of a neat-freak, so this wasn't ordinary.

"Book. Landed on my foot," I replied, head spinning a bit, and pointed to the cruel, large volume just a few feet away accusingly.

"Ouch," Riku agreed and added, "Well, if you only keep books for friends, you're bound to get in arguments every now and again." He snickered to himself as I frowned and stabilized myself with my left arm against the white, cinderblock wall.

"Funny," I sneered sarcastically and rolled my eyes, fighting the pain-induced urge to hit him like a wounded wild animal. "What's up, anyway?"

"Oh yeah, that's right, I didn't tell you. You're coming to Theater Club with Sora and I," he responded matter-of-factly, pushing a strand of silvery hair behind his right ear before crossing his arms smugly.

"Am I?" That definitely was not part of my plans, but Riku was talented at dragging me places against my will.

"Yup. You need to get out more, Zexion. You know, join clubs, immerse yourself in _the experience_. Best of all, you get to meet new people!" He explained, in his usual outgoing manner.

I sighed. What need did I have to meet new people? I was content with the amount of friends I had, thank-you-very-much. "I just attended Physics Club last week," I retorted defensively.

"That's not a real club! It's like a continuation of class from what you told me about it," he scoffed.

"And the purpose of Theater Club is…? I doubt it's half as productive as-"

"To talk about theater and just be crazy theater kids, of course," he interrupted with an excited smile.

"And do I look like a theater kid?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that a trick question?"

He chuckled and I nonchalantly, but very briefly, glanced into my full-length mirror as if to find any sort of theater-appearance trademark about me. I scanned myself up and down – (aw, why, no matter how much I eat, was I so tiny?) Okay, so I'm not the average guy you'd meet on the street. But I believe that being stereotyped as a likely theater kid –

"Do you appreciate musicals and plays?" Riku asked exasperatedly, as if he already knew the answer.

"Yes." He got me there. They were such an _intellectual_ form of entertainment.

"Then you're coming with us," he decided. I made to protest that I had a Physics exam to study for, but before I got the chance he had thrown my converse sneakers at me, which had been lying to the side of the door, and tapped his foot impatiently. My arms fumbled awkwardly in a half-failed attempt to catch them, and I pulled them on as fast as possible, though gingerly over my still-throbbing left foot. Riku grabbed my arm and steered me out of the dorm. What a persuasive friend I had found!

The theater, performing arts, and art building (basically they attempted to cram all the arts student learning facilities into one building), was located at the center of campus, and turned into about a fifteen minute walk. The sky was cloudy and dark, the sun had already set; it was almost 7:00. I lamented not grabbing a hoodie sweatshirt before leaving as the skin on my arms broke out in goosebumps and I shivered quietly. We lived in a warm climate, but the wind from the ocean made evenings considerably chilly.

As expected, Sora waited for us in front of the red brick building.

"Hey guys," he waved and we caught up to him.

We entered the building together and found the classroom where the club meeting was to be held. It was already rather crowded. _Great, crowds of strangers._ Black tables with four seats each formed rows of three both horizontally and vertically. I looked around nervously and sat down next to Riku and Sora as soon as they chose seats in the second row back all the way to the right.

I recognized several faces from taking orders at work, including Luxord, who was sitting on the edge of the table directly in front of me, and Xigbar, who was sitting at that table, positioned to in the leftmost seat.

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" Luxord said all of a sudden, making it rather obvious he was in charge. Everyone quieted down and stared at the commanding blonde. "I figure since this is our first meeting of the year, and I don't recognize a bunch of you, we can introduce ourselves. So, say your name, year, major, and something interesting about yourself. I'll start! I'm Luxord, Theater major, of course, and president of this club. I'm a Junior, you will _never_ beat me at poker, and I'm a pirate."

Some people snickered at his last remark, while others just smiled and nodded knowingly. Well, he was wearing a black t-shirt with a rather menacing skull and crossbones, as well as a skull and crossbones, huge silver ring on his right ring finger.

"Xig, want to go next?" He addressed the guy sitting next to him.

"Yeah, sure," he said and turned around to face everyone. "I'm Xigbar, Senior, but I had taken a few years off before going to college, so I'm a lot older than all of you. I'm also a Theater major, with a concentration in stage-fighting," at that he gave an intimidating grin. "Eh, I'm a pirate too. Maybe not-so-much as Lux here though. And I love to surf."

Eventually, we all had our turn to introduce ourselves…yet again. I was at a loss about something interesting about myself, so I ended up stating my ability to solve a rubix cube, without cheating, in under a minute. Some people seemed awed, at least.

Following introductions, we played a few icebreaker games. My favorite was a simple 'Name Game', in which we formed a circle, and then introduced ourselves again. The catch – we had to say our name and form a pose that represents our personality. Then, everyone in the circle would attempt to mock the voice and pose of the person. It sort of went like this:

"Zexion," I said, and, standing, put a hand intellectually to my chin, and narrowed my eyes as if in concentration. Once I sat back down, everyone else stood up, said my name in rather frightening, dark voices (did I really sound like that?), and then mimicked my pose. _Did I really look like an evil supervillain scheming something brilliant?_ What also amused me – all the girls and boys with long hair hid one half of their face with it.

The rest of the games were a bit beyond me, having never been involved with theater; dealing with improv, which is not my forte. After the games, we all took our original seats and just talked with each other; the full group part of the meeting was done

"Hey, your pose was great, Zexion," Luxord congratulated me.

"Thanks," I responded gratefully, perhaps he wanted to make me feel better about my misery in the later games.

"What do you mean, you're a pirate?" Riku asked curiously from my side.

"I sail the seas looking for treasure of course," he said and laughed. "No, I simply emulate pirates. I make period costumes, that's my theater concentration, and I wear them to Renaissance faires. And I've gotten good at sword-fighting, thanks to Xig here," he explained and clapped the man next to him on the shoulder.

"Wanna know how I got this scar?" Xigbar hissed all of a sudden, glaring, leaning forward and pointing to the massive scar on his face. His imitation of The Joker from Batman was so perfectly creepily accurate that Sora, Riku, and I, all leapt back in our chairs. I guess this happens when you hang around with Theater majors.

Xigbar almost fell over laughing at our expressions, slamming his fist into the table in front of us in pure glee. We chuckled nervously, trying to hide our previous fright.

Luxord was laughing very hard, too. "Don't go scaring the Freshies _too much_, Xig."

"Haha, but, it's so…hahaha…so easy," he said, wiping joyful tears from his eyes, breaking out into random sets of giggles. "Sorry guys," he apologized to us, and we assured him there were no hard feelings.

"Well, how _did_ you get them?" Riku questioned bravely, shocking both Sora and I, who glanced at each other.

"Ah, just a swordfight gone awry; decided to use real sword replicas instead of dull-bladed stage swords. Turned out to be a not-so-smart decision, eh?" he said whilst stroking the scar, and smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, you guys seem like halfway cool Freshman, want to go to an off-campus party on Friday? I'll drive you," Luxord offered, much to my surprise.

"Yeah, of course!" Riku responded quickly for all three of us, no shocker there. I gulped but nodded, it seemed like an incredibly special offer that we were not allowed to turn down.

"Can my twin brother come, too?" Sora asked in a small voice as if intimidated by Luxord.

"Of course, no problem. I'll pick all of you up at 8."

We decided to meet in front of Riku and I's dorm building Friday night, where Luxord could pick us all up together. About five minutes later, people started to leave the club meeting, so we followed suit.

"See you Friday night!" Luxord called as we departed.

What had I gotten my poor, introverted self into?

* * *

**A/N**: So, no Demyx in this chapter. I felt him being into theater too would be a little bit excessive and possibly out of character moreso than the others. I would also like to add that Luxord is the fanfiction embodiment of my very good friend from college, who is a theater-major-pirate-Junior who takes me to parties; Xigbar is loosely based off a couple of her friends. Haha. Speaking of the party, wow, am I going to have fun writing it. Poor Zexy won't know what hit him.

Also, updates will start coming slower very soon. I was on my Spring Break this week, but now with going back to college I'm going to be really busy. But hang in there, I definitely want to finish this Zemyx fic at some point…hopefully not too long from now.


	4. And You're Behind the Steering Wheel

7:45pm. Quarter of my first college party. Quarter of my first party since a friend's birthday in the eighth grade. Somewhere in the middle of listening to tasteless music and eating junk food, the entertainment transformed into "Spin the Bottle," followed by the worse, vulgar "Seven Minutes in Heaven." I vowed, as soon as that brainless girl-whose-name-I-cannot-recall scoffed when the bottle landed on me, to never attend another non-intellectual, or should I say plainly idiotic, social concoction such as that. _College was a bad influence on me._

I was sprawled on Riku's bed as he, Sora, and Roxas were crowded around his tiny television watching some offensive cartoon about a dysfunctional family. The main character was a bluntly stupid oaf of a man and my three friends were laughing hysterically. What had this world come to? My gaze wandered around the cinderblock walls, from pictures of Riku with considerably attractive girls, to posters of various films and rock bands, a few of which, expectedly, I had never heard of. The other side of the room, however, featured pictures of Riku's roommate who was apparently into mainstream, popular music. In fact, if I had not met the kid, the posters could have belonged to a teenage girl – including one of Katy Perry. Wow, XU guys were such toughies. Not.

A few minutes later, I heard the T.V. shut off. I groaned and pushed my hair even more dramatically over my face, clenching my eyes shut. Maybe I would become invisible and they would simply leave without me.

"Don't be like that, Zexion, it's going to be great," Riku assured me. "Look, Sora isn't even nervous."

I peered through a space in my hair and saw Riku grab Sora's shoulders and push him in front me so that I could see his expression. I have no idea what Riku was talking about; the brunette appeared even more frightened than I was.

"This is a mistake," I murmured, watching as Sora escaped Riku's clutches and skittered over to his twin in the opposite corner of the room.

"What's the mistake? We're college students going to a college party."

"An _upperclassman_ college party," I corrected him.

He laughed and nodded. "Which obviously makes it even better. We're lucky!"

"But there are a certain number of risks involved. For example, getting caught and put on academic probation, losing my scholarship, being humili– "

"Oh, stop your whining, Zexion, and live it a little. It's time to go anyway," Riku interrupted and grabbed my left arm, easily pulling me up from the bed.

I reclaimed my limb and we all exited the dorm as a group. The walk down the hall and out of the building felt longer than usual and surreal almost – as if it were one ghost-like blur. But eventually we did reach the parking lot on the side of the building, and there was Luxord's silver PT Cruiser. We recognized it as his immediately due to a plethora of pirate-related bumper stickers and decals.

"Shotgun, no blitzes!" Riku called and ran to the front seat, leaving Sora, Roxas, and myself to climb in the back. It was unsurprising that I ended up in the uncomfortable middle seat. As the tiniest, I frequently get shoved in the worst places.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" Luxord questioned, looking at us in the back through the rearview mirror as we settled ourselves.

"Great!" Riku chimed first.

"Good. This is my twin, Roxas, by the way."

"Hi, nice to meet you. I'm doing well."

"Alright," I managed to choke out as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"Nice to meet you, Roxas. Why the long face, Zexion? Have a bad day?" He looked into the mirror again. I would have preferred he kept his eyes on the road.

"No, I'm fine. Thanks." I pulled anxiously at a loose thread on my sweatshirt.

"He doesn't like parties," Riku added. I sighed; there is no subtlety with this kid.

Luxord laughed briefly and grinned back at me. "Aw, really? Oh well, he'll calm down once he gets some booze in him. The nervous ones always do."

I groaned silently to myself. I had assumed there would be drinking, of course. I'm not stupid, but a small glimmer of hope had remained that these theater nerds would care a bit more about rules than ordinary college students. No, I suppose that's just us physics nerds. It's not that I was uptight and unwilling to have fun – but alcohol makes people act in the vilest ways.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Sora questioned from my right.

"Xig's off campus apartment. It's downtown. We're almost there."

Sure enough, we then pulled onto a busy street in the downtown district. As a tourist down, this street was complemented by many little, random antique, clothes, and basic gift shops and restaurants on both sides. Luxord pulled the car in front of a shop named "Aeris Flower's," parked, and turned off the ignition.

"Alright, here we are."

We all climbed out of the car and piled onto the sidewalk. Luxord guided us through a door on the side of the shop, which led to a private apartment above the facility. After climbing up a rather steep, hazardous staircase, we entered another door. The noise of too many people and excessively loud music for my liking hit me first, followed by the sight of crowds that made me want to run in the opposite direction. We entered a small living room, where Xigbar spotted Luxord and bounded towards us.

"Hey Luxord! I'm glad you could make it."

"You know I wouldn't miss it, man," Luxord laughed and clapped his friend on the shoulder.

"And- what's this? You brought the freshies! Fantastic! Time to corrupt some youth."

"You know I couldn't pass up the chance." Luxord smirked over his shoulder at the four of us.

"Anyway, welcome to my humble abode, gentlemen. I'm afraid I must go entertain, make yourselves comfortable and I'll see you later." Xigbar bowed dramatically and disappeared into the crowd.

"I'm going to talk to some friends. Just try to socialize and have fun. Most of the people here are friendly enough," Luxord addressed us, and then followed a similar direction as Xigbar into the mass of upperclassmen.

We stood in an awkward circle for a few moments after that. Even Riku seemed a bit out of his element and intimidated. Everyone appeared to have their set groups that they seemed unwilling to socialize outside of.

"Let's just go sit over there until we can get something to drink," Riku spoke up first, unsurprisingly, and steered our group to an empty couch in the corner.

We settled down, feeling more comfortable after we gained our own spot where we could simply people-watch until our comrades returned. And wow – this was one cozy couch; the tan, cheap, utilitarian kind that doesn't look like much, but just kind of sucks you in with its surreal softness. I was simply vanishing into a cloud.

My eyes flickered around the room. I recognized several people from taking orders at work, including a tough looking blonde girl named Larxene, if I remember correctly, with the redhead Axel. As I stared, he turned and oops – caught me looking at him. He began to approach us.

"Hey, I don't think I've seen you four before," he said. "Freshmen?" he guessed, sitting on the edge of the living room table in front of us.

We nodded and introduced ourselves one by one.

"And I'm - " he began.

"Axel," I finished for him without even thinking.

Axel chuckled to himself and nodded. "Everyone knows the fiery ginger."

"I remember names," I said and shrugged, but the redhead had focused his attention rather fully on the spiky-haired blonde to my left.

"So where are you from, Roxas?" he said, staring deeply into his blue eyes. He took a long drink from the red plastic cup he was holding, but never broke the gaze.

"Um, not…far," he responded nervously, seemingly unaware of why he was caught in Axel's spotlight.

Axel chuckled and inched closer. He seemed unsurprised at the incoherent response. Apparently, I could only assume, he had this effect on many unsuspecting targets. Roxas remained still.

"You have gorgeous eyes, Roxas."

Sora laughed quietly, but Axel paid him no mind.

"You have nice…uh…tattoos," Roxas responded. This sent his twin into a fit of giggles.

"Oh! You think so? Why don't you come with me into the light so you can see them better?" Before Roxas could respond, Axel had pulled him to his feet. With a small squeak, Roxas turned his head to look at us, apparently terrified. But he put up no honest struggle as he was led away.

As the two departed, Xigbar and Luxord re-entered the room, and took Axel's previous seat across from us.

"Leave it to Axel to pick up an innocent freshman first," Xigbar joked.

"And he really did take the most innocent looking one, didn't he? I'd go for Zexion, myself," Luxord smirked.

I raised an eyebrow and felt a slight blush rise to my cheeks. What an awkward thing to say! Silly theater kids…

"Oh, don't worry, I'm no cradle robber. I like them older," he assured me after noticing my expression.

"Most of the time," Xigbar corrected him.

"Oh come on, I've never dated anyone so young. Just because I'm a flirt, doesn't mean –"

"Okay, Lux, we've got it. Anyway, I brought you something to drink since you were all sitting here alone, figured it was time to loosen you up. Vodka shot time!" Xigbar handed the huge bottle of Smirnoff that he was holding to Riku first.

"Eh, it's better than nothing," Riku muttered and took a quick gulp of the clear liquid. He passed the bottle on to Sora, who barely let the stuff touch his lips before making a sickened face and passing it on to me.

I looked nervously down at the bottle. "I've never had vodka…"

"There's a first time for everything. Just drink it until you taste it."

I tilted the bottle back a little too fast out of nerves and got a mouthful. I swallowed, and immediately had a strong gag reflex. Disgusting.

Luxord grabbed the bottle from me quickly. "Alright, no puking on us. That was a bad idea anyway. I'll fix you all a drink you'll actually like." He handed the bottle off to Xigbar and left for a few minutes.

"I suppose not everyone can handle it straight," Xigbar shrugged and took another drink.

When Luxord returned, he held three red plastic cups full of a different drink and handed one to each of us.

"What is it?" I asked and peered into my cup. It was bright orange.

"It's a Tifa. I named it after a fabulous girl I knew once. Orange soda and rum."

I took a small sip to find that it was surprisingly good. It was sweet, I could hardly tell it was spiked. Riku and Sora appeared to also approve. Luxord pulled out his own bottle of rum, Captain Morgan's to be more exact, and drank it straight. What a pirate.

We continued to drink and talk about random things. Theater, classes, past relationships. I was finally beginning to unwind. It wasn't long before Luxord and Xigbar left to socialize again.

Riku made an angry face all of a sudden. "You know, Sora, if Axel had chosen you to pick up instead of Roxas, I probably would've killed him."

Sora smiled shyly. "What? Why Riku?" he questioned obliviously.

"Let's go dance." The two struggled to stand from their spots stuck in the couch, and disappeared from the room, apparently moving closer to the music.

I sighed. And just like that, all of my friends found romance in a single night. That's what alcohol does, lowers your inhibitions, and increases your confidence. But me, it just kind of made me woozy. I placed my empty cup on a nearby table and leaned completely into the couch. At least I was secure and comfortable. I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, I felt someone seemingly jump into the seat next to me. I opened my blurred eyes rapidly and glanced over from behind my hair, which had fallen even more exaggeratedly into my face.

"Demyx?" I mumbled in slight surprise.

"Hey Zexion! I saw you over here so I thought I'd say hi! Why are you alone?" The blonde was bouncing up and down on the edge of the couch. He wore a huge grin.

"My friends are all dancing…or making out…or something…gone." I waved my hand in the air.

Demyx chuckled. "Yeah, Xigbar's parties do that to people. You're actually one of the last people I'd expect to find here."

"You don't know me," I retorted defensively. I'm not a nerd. Shut up, puppy dog. That's what he was like, a puppy dog. Though at the moment, a very blurry, clouded one.

Demyx frowned and nodded. "No, that's true. I apologize. But hey, you gave me a popsicle. So you're good with me."

I chortled at the humorousness of it all. I was sitting in an upperclassman's apartment, abandoned by my friends, with the strange Sophomore that had randomly chatted with me at work.

"I'm guessing you're not having fun?"

"No."

"I love parties. So many people to talk to!" Demyx responded excitedly, looking around the room at everyone.

"You like to talk. A lot."

"Ah. The alcohol is making you honest. Do you mind?"

I shook my head and almost fell over with the effort. "I don't talk much. I prefer to listen. Riku talks too much, but that's why we're friends." I really was being truthful. That contemptible rum was prevented me from holding my tongue.

"Well, good then. We'll be friends! I love making friends! So guess what happened to me today. My _first_ composition in my Symphonic Composition class got chosen to be entered into an international contest. Isn't that amazing?" He gave an extra little bounce at the end, and stared, eyes wide, waiting for my response.

"That's wondtastic," I mumbled and immediately felt like an idiot.

"You started to say wonderful and fantastic at the same time?" he guessed. "I jumble words all the time, even when I'm sober," he laughed, making me feel a bit better. I laughed a bit, too.

"You know, Demyx. I hate parties and alco…alcohell. Um…drinking." I began to laugh darkly and fell back, so that I was lying down on the couch. My world was spinning and my entire body began to tremble slightly.

"Have you had a lot to drink, Zexion?"

I shook my head, though it was a little more difficult to do so than it should have been. "A shot of vodkuh and a little run, uh rum." I closed my eyes.

I felt Demyx lean over me, but was too sleepy and out of it to care. He poked me until I opened my eyes in annoyance. "Alright, Zexion. Then you're a major lightweight. You shouldn't be here in this state; I'm taking you back to campus."

"I'm fine-" I began to argue. I attempted to stand up to prove my point, but as I put my weight on my feet, gravity was not my friend. I toppled over nothing but air and fell in a rather twisted movement to the floor. On my way down, I smacked my forehead against the table. I curled up into a ball on the floor, rubbing the spot where I hit my head in a furious attempt to make it stop throbbing in pain.

"Ow, shit," I muttered. "What a great night."

"Are you okay!?" Demyx screamed and joined me on the floor, lifting my chin and pushing my slate hair out of the way so he could see my wound. "Ah, thank goodness. Just a small bruise." He pulled away for a moment. "But that settles it, I'm taking you back."

Before I could even think to protest, he had scooped me up in his arms as if I were some sort of doll. I was in such a fog that I could not bring myself to care much. If I had been sober, I probably would have feared being kidnapped by this near-stranger.

As we reached the door, Luxord intercepted us. "And where do you think you're bringing that freshman, Demyx?"

"He's had a bit too much to drink and I'm afraid he might pass out. And then who knows what would happen to him. I'm taking him back to campus."

"Ah, alright. You haven't been drinking, have you?"

"Me, drink and drive? I thought you knew me better than that. No, I found this one before I even got a chance."

"Carry on then." Luxord walked away, clearing the way to the door.

Demyx headed forward and wow, I would have been so embarrassed to have been seen being carried if I had been in my right mind. We exited the apartment and quietness enveloped me miraculously. My headache that had developed in the very beginning began to fade. It was then that I realized –

"Fuck no! You can't carry me down those stairs!" I shouted. I felt like I was being dangled over a cliff.

"Yes I can. You weigh next to nothing. And you can't walk down them. It's a treacherous attempt for someone who is the tiniest bit tipsy." He laughed and held me tighter in a reassuring manner. "Just close your eyes and we'll be at the bottom before you know it."

I didn't have much choice, as I did want to get as far away from the party as possible, so I clenched my eyes tightly and buried my face into the boy's chest. As I breathed, I almost gasped. That scent! The sweetness immediately made all else irrelevant.

"There, we're at the bot-"

"You smell so good!" My drunken self exclaimed.

"I…showered earlier?" he responded in a confused voice as we exited the building and entered the cool night air.

Feeling awkward and at a bit of a loss, I decided to try to explain myself. "I have an overactive nose. People have different…scents."

"That's really bizarre. You're a different one, Zexion. But I'm flattered I give off a good scent to you."

Demyx was strolling down the sidewalk, still holding me without needing to exert real effort. With not much else to do, I stared up at the starry night sky.

We stopped suddenly and Demyx sat me in the passenger seat of a car that I was a bit too out of it to describe. He helped me with my seatbelt, shut my door, and walked around to the driver's side.

"Why are you doing this?" I mumbled tiredly.

"Well, why not?"

"I mean…do you come to the rescue of excessively shitfaced freshmen often?"

"Eh, not really. But I watch out for people. Xig and Lux obviously assumed you were ready for something that you weren't. I could tell you were just dying to leave. And as I said, I've taken a liking to you, Zexion." He smiled over at me.

"Well, thanks."

"What dorm do you live in?"

"Bastion West."

The car ride felt very short. Demyx maneuvered the car into a parking space outside of my dorm building, turned it off, and got out. As expected, he opened my car door.

"Do you think you can walk now?" He offered me a hand.

I nodded and took his hand and was pulled out of my seat. I walked dizzily ahead, and almost toppled over again, but Demyx caught me and put an arm around my waist so I could balance myself.

"What's your room number?"

"153."

We proceeded down the hallway, and fortunately, none of my neighbors were around to witness my embarrassing, drunken, 'walk of shame.' When we reached my door, I pressed the numbers of the code to unlock it and entered. I flipped on the light and stumbled in. Demyx let go of me, and I managed to climb onto my lofted bed.

"Thanks again," I mumbled and passed out.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, this chapter took absolutely forever to write. I was halfway through and hit a seemingly impassible block when I could only write a couple of paragraphs a day. But finally I was able to keep writing and then it ended up longer than I expected. Haha.

Thanks so much for all of the reviews! Even as I left the story aside for months, people continued to review, which kept me inspired. I probably would have abandoned this fic otherwise simply because I intimidated myself when I realized I've never tried writing yaoi before, and it has such a different feel.

In short, the slogan of Xehanort University should be: come here if you're a guy and you like guys. Yaoi to the max.

Please review again!


	5. Touching You

I warily opened my eyes to see strips of sunlight shooting onto the walls from behind the window shade. The light hit the cinderblock to form a long, jagged line that began near the ceiling, continued across my bed, and onto the floor. I could feel the pleasant warmth of the sun on my arm. I blinked excessively to clear my vision and focused upwards.

I yawned and stretched, realizing first that my mouth was shockingly dry and next that I was in my clothes from last night. I attempted to sit up to determine my situation.

"ARGH!" A massive amount of pain shot through my head. I clenched my jaw and shut my eyes, lying back down. Perhaps moving was not a good idea.

" WHAT? WHAT IS IT!? ARE YOU OKAY?"

I screamed at the sudden person standing beside my bed, quieted as I came to my senses, and watched as an exhausted Demyx frantically rubbed his eyes and stared at me in worry.

"D-Demyx?" I muttered, still in a bit of shock. I rubbed the side of my head; the abrupt loud noise did not help my migraine. "What the _hell_ are you doing here?"

He frowned and nervously played with his hair. "So yeah…about that."

"Did you sleep on my floor all night?"

"Um…_sleep_ might not be the right word for it. Well, I left your dorm last night, and just as I walked down the hall, I realized. 'what if he has a concussion or drank so much that he stops breathing!?' So I bolted my way back down the hall and reached your room just as the door slammed shut. Then I had to find a way inside. I found your RA, told him there was an emergency, and he opened the door for me. And then I spent the night on the floor," he explained and gave an innocent, little smile at the end.

I could not believe what I was hearing. I was not exactly pleased to find out all someone had to do was tell my Resident Assistant that there was an emergency to get into my dorm. I had a sudden mental image of an ax murderer creeping into my room in the dark and –

"And why would I possibly have a concussion?" I questioned curiously, slightly terrified over the prospects of the answer. Apparently I drank more than I realized.

Demyx appeared surprised. "You mean you don't remember when you fell off your bed during our rough sex last night!?"

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened. "E-excuse me?"

Demyx burst out laughing for a good minute. He doubled over and had to wipe tears from his eyes before looking back at me. "Hahaha….I'm…haha, totally kidding."

I gave a great sigh of relief, but could not ignore the huge headache that I had. "What did happen?"

"You got really drunk, fell, and hit your head on a table. I took you back to campus. Though I think my story is more entertaining."

I shuddered. "Yes, _entertaining_. So you _watched_ me all night to see if I was _breathing_."

"I _listened_ all night to _hear_ if you were. Man, you have an uncomfortable floor. My back kills." He stretched and cracked his back. I grimaced at the unpleasant noise.

"You're a bit of a creeper for sleeping in here uninvited," I smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I was just trying to make sure you were okay! I couldn't just leave you to die after deciding to get you back safely!" he tried to explain, desperately. "Are you mad?"

I was pretty sure he was exaggerating and that there was virtually no possibility I could have died in my sleep, but he was obviously no pre-med major and the effort he made was endearing. I couldn't think of another person who would sleep on my floor because I was drunk, and Demyx was still just a stranger.

I shook my head and sat up, jumping from my bed. I gritted my teeth through the pain in my head long enough to make my way to the drawer with my pain reliever in it. I dry-swallowed two pills out of impatience, and then opened my mini fridge to find a bottle of water. I downed half of it as Demyx watched quietly, apparently at a loss for words. (What a surprise.)

"What time is it, anyway?"

"Ten of twelve."

"Noon!?" I simply couldn't remember the last time I had slept in so late. I was an early bird. I loved the boost in productivity my days had when I awoke earlier than the average college student.

A loud growl came from across the room and I looked over at Demyx in surprise. He was clutching his stomach. "Wanna get lunch?" he asked. "I'm starved."

I was still in my clothes from yesterday and felt disgusting. "Let me shower first. I'll be quick. You can wait here."

Demyx nodded and sat down in my desk chair, helping himself to any entertainment that my laptop could bring. He immediately visited youtube and began to watch music videos of some band I didn't know.

I rummaged through my drawers to find suitable clothes, put on my black shower flip flops which were in the corner, and exited the room, headed to the bathroom down the hallway. After a very quick, refreshing shower, I returned to my dorm to find Demyx exactly where I had left him. Except now, the room was filled with a soft, familiar melody.

"I Will Possess Your Heart," I said aloud, proud to make my alternative music knowledge known.

"You like Death Cab for Cutie?" Demyx questioned, turning around in the chair to watch me.

"They're my favorite. Their lyrics are so–"

"Thought-provoking," Demyx finished, nodding.

"Yes," I agreed, slightly surprised. Demyx had never seemed one to put much thought into anything. Or maybe that first impression I had of him was wrong. "So you're into alternative?"

He gave a brief booming laugh. "I'm a music major, you know. Music's my life. I like everything from Mozart to Manson, depending on my mood. But yeah, alternative is one of my favorites, I guess." He closed the window on my computer and stood up.

"Ready for lunch?" I asked, putting on my sneakers.

"I'm always ready to eat," Demyx assured me.

I grabbed my student id off of the bureau and slid it into my back pocket. Walking from the room and into the long hallway, an enthusiastic Demyx immediately followed me closely. We continued on in silence for a little while, though I could tell my companion found the quiet uncomfortable and dull. Why can't some people understand there is nothing wrong with being together in silence?

"So does your hair really just dry like that?" Demyx asked, unable to remain quiet any longer.

"Like what?" My hair was drenched from my shower and I had not bothered to do anything with it.

"Well, like how your hair always is. All…_flippy_. It's so punk and awesome."

I chuckled quietly. "Oh, well, thank you. Yeah, I don't bother with it much."

"You're so lucky!" he exclaimed.

"Your hairstyle is particularly cool, too, though."

"But I have to put a ton of effort into it. Lots of product," he complained.

I simply shrugged. I was getting better at taking compliments; my confidence was noticeably improving. We reached the dining hall, which was actually connected directly to my building, scanned our identification cards at the entrance, and I watched as Demyx sprinted eagerly towards the food. I managed to disregard the loud, familiar sounds of unintelligible chatter and the clanking of dishes.

I followed Demyx slowly, scanning the different displays of food with faltering interest. None of the hot food items, with excessively strong odors that made me scrunch up my nose, appealed to my not-quite-settled stomach. In the end, as was common, I chose to simply prepare myself a turkey and cheese sandwich at the deli station. I placed my plate on a tray, filled a glass up with water at the soda fountain, and looked up for my companion. I found him still selecting food, so I chose a seat at a two-person table near the large window that overlooked the ocean.

I had just taken my first small bite when Demyx joined me at the table. His tray consisted of more food than I could eat in an entire day: two large pieces of fried chicken and mashed potatoes, a massive piece of lasagna, and two plate-sized pieces of pepperoni pizza. Apparently my attempt to hide my surprise was a failure, because he laughed at my expression.

"I like to eat," he said obviously, sitting down and diving right in to his chicken.

"I guess it's good you have a fast metabolism then."

"Or I'd be huge!" Demyx exclaimed through a mouthful of chicken. "But I'm active, too. I have to get my energy up for surf club, didn't sleep much last night."

"Coffee might help," I suggested; though, as soon as I said it I realized that could be a dangerous situation.

He chuckled. "You wouldn't like to see me caffeinated…"

"I can only imagine it would be a frightening sight."

A few minutes passed in silence, during which time I gazed out the window, towards the ocean and began to zone out. It was a beautiful, sunny day. The only clouds in the sky were puffy and white, not at all threatening. My thoughts drifted from the mounds of homework that awaited me this weekend to the friends that I had left at the party last night.

"So do you want to come?" Demyx asked.

I was shaken out of my thoughts, and had absolutely no idea where he was referring to. "What? Where?" I asked, sounding considerably oblivious whereas I was usually down to earth.

"Surf club, of course. I mean I know you probably don't surf but you can just hang out on the beach and watch, it'd be fun. It's a beautiful day; you shouldn't coop yourself up in your little dorm." Demyx spoke excitedly, his offer was sincere.

"I have a ton of homework. I really shouldn't…" I answered unsurely. It _would_ be fun to spend some time outside.

A look of disappointment overcame his face. "Aw, c'mon. Look how beautiful it is out," Demyx attempted to persuade me, waving his arm towards the window. "Procrastinate a little. College students aren't meant to spend a day like this inside."

I sighed. "Well, I could bring some work with me…if all I'm doing is sitting there."

"Yay! It's settled!" He practically shouted, making me shrink back at the sudden loud noise.

We finished our lunches at about the same time, unsurprising if one could understand the zeal with which Demyx devoured the food in front of him. He was a walking, talking garbage disposal. We stood up and left the table together, ridding ourselves of the trays in the proper cleaning area.

"I'll meet you at First Beach in about an hour," Demyx said as we walked back across the dining hall to the exit.

"Okay, see you then."

We parted after exiting the dining hall; Demyx turned to go out the front door of the lobby, and I walked back towards my dorm. When I reached my door I entered the code, as usual, (34, 12, 5), and passed inside. I had a little bit of time to myself because the walk to the beach would only take fifteen minutes along the coast from my current location. I decided to pass the minutes by checking my email, of which I had one new from my mom. I answered it quickly, though less-than-thoroughly since mainly she was asking how my weekend had been thus far and I wanted to avoid the truth of the matter for obvious reasons.

Following the sent email, I surfed the web as I normally do, ending upon the social networking site that consumed an unhealthy portion of my time. I just so happened to come across an album of pictures from the previous night's party. I almost laughed out loud at one of a very delirious-looking Roxas drinking from a cup held by none other than an extremely proud Axel. Another photo I found so ridiculously adorable that I swooned a little: Riku and a sleepy-eyed Sora were rather entangled in a perfect cuddle-position on the couch. I suppose romance was in the air that night. But not for me. Oh well. I felt no self-pity. I would be terribly awkward in a relationship anyway.

In about half an hour I packed my physics book and notebook into my black messenger bag and began my short journey out of the building and towards First Beach. The walk was a beautiful, serene one, directly along a path that had been made on the coast. This part of campus featured a magnificent cliff, which continued for about a mile with beaches on either side – First beach to the immediately northeast, and Second Beach to the southeast.

I listened to my iPod on shuffle, and hardly five songs had passed before the cliff began to slope, and a short set of stairs brought me directly to the beach. It was not too crowded; small groups of XU students were here or there, but tourist season had ended in late September and the water itself was not ideally warm for swimming.

I noticed Demyx simply due to the large surfboards that he and three guys with him were holding. They had set themselves up in a rocky area nearby.

"Hey, Zexion!" Demyx shouted as soon as he noticed me and waved eagerly. He was wearing an exceptionally flattering wetsuit. Yes, he was a surfer boy alright.

I gave a small wave back as to not disappoint him, and reached the group.

"This is Cloud, Leon, and Tidus," Demyx introduced the three, slightly older-looking boys. We exchanged hellos and the three immediately ran towards the ocean, leaving Demyx and I alone for a moment.

"Your board is…pretty," I said, for lack of a more knowledgeable critique. It was both light and dark blue, with intricate music symbols forming stunning patterns.

"Thanks," he laughed. "She's my baby." He gave his surfboard a small hug. "Anyway, the waves are calling, I'll be back in a bit!" He ran off after the group, surfboard expertly held under his right arm.

I settled myself down into the sand, resting my back against a rock. I pulled out my homework and quickly became engrossed into the chapter on circular motion. The next time I even thought to glance up, I saw Demyx conquering a huge, impressive wave. I swear he saw me looking, because he glanced towards the shore, lost his focus and balance, and wiped out. I chuckled quietly; sometimes other people's misfortune amused me.

The time passed quickly, and Demyx was the first of the surfers to call it a day. I was proud, having completed three out of four chapters for the assignment. When he raced back towards me, I folded up my notebook, book, and packed everything neatly away.

"Did you see me!? Wasn't I good?"

I nodded. He beamed. No need to hurt the feeling of this puppy dog with the truth that I looked up from my work only that once.

He shook off and droplets of water from his soaked hair went everywhere.

"Hey, hey, watch it!" I called, not quite serious. But he jokingly shook even harder and when I put my arms up to shield my face from the wet onslaught he stopped. "Oh, were you talking to me?" he joked, tilting his head in a mock curious-manner and smiling wider than ever.

"Jerk," I mumbled, also smirking, and rose to my feet.

"You don't really think so, do you, Zexi!?" Demyx asked, startled.

I flinched at the nickname, but decided to ignore it – perhaps if I tried a different approach to preventing the unfortunate abbreviation of Zexion, he would simply disregard it as an option. "Sorry, I keep forgetting you lack the ability to distinguish sarcasm," I half-joked.

He breathed easier. I was noticing a pattern here.

We walked back to campus together. He talked the whole way about his recent surfing adventures. I stayed pretty quiet, knowing that my own physics adventures would fail to entertain him, but paid uncharacteristically close attention to his stories. Somehow, I was reaching beyond my usual introverted self in order to simply make Demyx happy. I didn't give it much thought then, but his cheeriness was contagious, and I was captivated.

* * *

**A/N: **AH SO MANY REVIEWS! Thankyouthankyouthankyou! -jumps up and down like an overenthusiastic Demyx-impersonator- You are all so amazing. I can't even begin to explain how happy your reviews have made me. So, I'm going to reply to a couple! (You know who you are.)

I definitely don't plan on rushing them into "I love you's," as that is a pretty big pet peeve for me too. And Sora, hmm…I guess I figured he'd be a little intimidated as a freshman going to an upperclassman party. Andd, I won't end it too soon at all and I'll certainly try to keep Riku more canon.

As to what college I go to, I've actually changed a lot more than I originally meant to about the location of this college in this fic due to a direction the plot is going to take later on. -wink- So it's not a ton like mine. My college is made of mansions, cliffs, and the ocean. It is also very small and private like XU. Ha, I like this game.

Finally! I am very sorry this chapter took so long. I literally spent a week deciding whether or not to make the beach-time a stand-alone chapter or shorter and in this chapter. Haha, sorry, but I'm quite a perfectionist.

Please review, loves. Especially if you add me to alerts and/or favorites. ^.^


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